Giannis for MVP?

Giannis Antetokounmpo has been viewed over the last couple of seasons as one of the NBA’s most promising young stars because of his extremely rare combination of length and athleticism. This season, he has elevated his game and the Milwaukee Bucks to the level of a contender in the East.

By doing so, Antetokounmpo has put himself in the MVP conversation despite not having a consistent jump shot just yet. He scored 27 points and grabbed 21 boards in a win over last year’s MVP, James Harden, on Wednesday, doing much of his damage in the paint. Paul is impressed with how dominant Giannis is without a consistent three-point shot, but when it comes, it’s going to be scary for the rest of the league.

“The numbers are staggering. The guy is averaging 27-28 a game, 12 rebounds, six assists, and this is without a three-point-shot,” Pierce said. “There’s going to come a time when he’s going to be respectable from there.”